Train the instructor
Paraprofessionals learn one consistent lesson format and practice delivering it before beginning with students.
Paraprofessionals as reading tutors
Your paraprofessionals can teach children to read
Once gives paraprofessionals a fully scripted early-reading curriculum, focused training, and weekly video coaching so they can deliver consistent, one-to-one instruction in 15 minutes a day.
Tangipahoa Parish · 2026–27
2,800students
Supported by 195 paraprofessional instructors.
A districtwide Once implementation spanning kindergarten and first grade.
The short answer
Can paraprofessionals provide effective reading tutoring?
Yes—when the instructional model does not ask them to invent lessons, diagnose alone, or work without feedback. Once turns reading science into a clear daily routine: the instructor follows the lesson, works one-to-one with a student, and gets coaching on recorded sessions.
That structure lets districts add more human instruction without relying only on certified teachers for every tutoring block. Teachers remain central to the literacy system while paraprofessionals gain a defined, supported role in helping students build foundational skills.
A supported instructional role
What helps paraprofessional tutoring work
The goal is not to hand staff another program. It is to give them a teachable routine, then help them improve through practice and feedback.
Fully scripted lessons
Instructors know what to say, what to show, and what skill comes next—without writing lesson plans.
Focused training
Paraprofessionals learn the lesson routine, foundational reading skills, and how to respond when a student needs help.
Weekly video coaching
Once coaches review recorded instruction and give each instructor practical feedback for the next lesson.
How the model works
From school staff member to supported reading instructor
Once supplies the curriculum, tools, and coaching. Districts supply caring adults and a protected 15-minute tutoring block.
Teach for 15 minutes
Each instructor works in person, one-to-one, following a scripted lesson that builds skills in a deliberate sequence.
Review and improve
Recorded sessions make instruction visible so Once coaches can reinforce strengths and solve specific problems each week.
Efficacy evidence
Sustained Once tutoring is associated with meaningful reading growth
Once has completed four ESSA Tier III studies and one ESSA Tier II study, with a Tier I randomized trial in progress. Recent studies show 10–20+ percentile points of reading growth, with results varying by assessment, student population, and dosage.
Explore all Once research6
completed ESSA-aligned studies
1
ESSA Tier II study
5
ESSA Tier III studies
Next level of evidence
Tier I randomized trial in progress
Flagship evidence · 2025
0.46 SD
Quasi-experimental study of Once and kindergarten reading growth
LXD Research found a 0.46 standard-deviation difference on FastBridge for below-median kindergarten students who completed 80+ Once sessions, compared with matched students receiving their schools’ typical reading support.
2025 study highlights
More findings across assessments
Across two assessment systems, the strongest outcomes appeared when students received roughly 20 hours of Once instruction—80 focused, 15-minute sessions across the year.
2025 study · Fastbridge · 551 students
7× more likely to reach low or no risk
Under 40 sessions
80+ sessions
2025 study · i-Ready · 822 students
More than 20 percentile points of growth
Among the 542 students who began below the national median, those receiving 20 hours of one-to-one tutoring gained more than 20 percentile points on average.
Tangipahoa Parish School System
A paraprofessional tutoring model built to reach thousands of students
Tangipahoa trained existing paraprofessionals to deliver daily, one-to-one Once lessons. For the 2026–27 school year, the program includes 195 instructors serving 2,800 kindergarten and first-grade students.
“I thought this only could be done by a teacher. Now I’ve learned that it can be done by other people who love children and care about children and really want to make a difference in their lives.”Read the Tangipahoa case study
195
paraprofessional instructors
Delivering Once in the 2026–27 school year
2,800
students
Across kindergarten and first grade
Plan a district implementation
Explore a paraprofessional-led Once program
Tell us about your students, staffing, and schedule. Our schools team can help you think through a pilot or broader rollout.